Ditching bucket attachment



Sept. 28, 1965 J. J. RoBNETT DITGHING .BUCKET ATTACHMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 6, 1963 INVENTOR JAMES J. ROBN ETT BUCMHORN BLORE, KLARQUIST 8, SFARKMAN ATTORNEYS Sept. 28, 1965 1.J. ROBNETT DITCHING BUCKET ATTACHMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Deo. 6, 1963 INVENTOR JAMES J. ROBN ETT BY BUCKHOFEN, BLOIQE, KLARQUTST & SPARKMAN ATTO R N EYS United States Patent O 3,208,611 DITCHING BUCKET ATTACHMENT `lames J. Robnett, Clackamas County, Oreg., assignorto Mixermobile Manufacturers, Inc., Portland, Oreg., a corporation of Oregon Filed Dec. 6, 1963, Ser. No.' 328,534 8 Claims. (Cl. 214-140) This invention relates to a loader, and more particularly to a boom extension attachment for a loader.

Loaders of the type shown in Patent 2,741,378 are eX- cellent for scooping up material and loading the material into trucks and the like. However, such loaders do not have snicient reach for cleaning road ditches from the road surface. It would be desirable to provide a loader with sufficient reach to clean ditches while keeping the loader on the road surface.

An object of the invention is to provide a loader having sutcient reach for cleaning a road ditch from the road surface.

Another object of the invention is to provide a loader which may be used with a bucket attached directly at the end of the boom thereof, or with a boom extension mounting a bucket substantially beyond the free end of the boom, to provide additional reach where desired.

A further object of the invention is to provide a quick detachable boom extension for a loader.

Another object of the invention is to provide a boom extension carrying a bucket and adapted to simply and effectively clean a road ditch.

The invention provides a loader which has a short turning radius and has a boom structure of the parallelogram linkage type, and at the free end thereof a mounting frame for mounting either a bucket directly on the frame or, alternately, a boom extension thereon which has at its outer end a bucket pivotally attached thereto. Thus, the effective reach of the front end loader can be either of two selected lengths. The boom extension preferably is in the form of an elongated truss member, and the main boom carries a hydraulic, bucket cylinder and piston for tilting the rst bucket to a desired position. The boom extension carries the bucket thereon pivotally. An extension for the piston of the bucket cylinder drive connects the bucket on the boom extension and the piston of the bucket cylinder.

A complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from the following detailed description of a loader forming a specific embodiment thereof, when read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a loader forming one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary top plan View of the loader of FIG. 1 taken on line 2 2 of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, vertical section taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and i FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical section of the boom extending attachment of the loader of FIG. 2.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, a loader (FIGS. 1 and 2) is adapted to either carry thereon and manipulate a normal front end loading bucket 12 shown in dot-dash lines on FIG. 1 or, as an alternative, a ditching attachment 14 which is quickly interchangeable with the bucket 12. The general construction of the loader 10 is disclosed and claimed in the above-mentioned Patent ice 2,741,378, and includes a chassis 16, front drive wheels 18, and a pair of rear steering wheels 20, which may be turned together through an arc of substantially 180. The loader 10 also includes a cab 22 and a rigid boom frame or carriage 24. The frame 24 pivotally supports a main boom 26, together with a stabilizer 28 which extends parallel to the boom 26 andy forms a parallelogram linkage with the boom 26, the portion of the frame 24 therebetween and a bucket mounting frame 30 therebetween. Pivot connections 32 and 34 secure the stabilizer and main boom to the frame 24 and pivot connections 36 and 38 secure the stabilizer and the main boom to the frame 30. There is provided a boom hydraulic cylinder and piston device 40 and a bucket hydraulic cylinder 42. The cylinder 42 is connected pivotally by a pin 43 to the bucket mounting frame 30 and serves to drive a piston (not shown) therein connected to a piston rod 44, when the bucket 12 is employed, the piston rod 44 is pivotally connected to the bucket 12 and the bucket 12 is pivotally connected to the frame 30 by a fork or bracket 46 forming a rigid portion of the frame 30.

In order to provide much more reach to the front end loader 10, the ditching attachment 14 is substituted for the bucket 12. This permits the wheels 18 of the loader to remain `on a hard portion 47 (FIG. l) of a roadway or shoulder (FIG. 2) and not go onto a soft shoulder 49 of the roadway, and for a roughly cylindrical ditch 51, or without ever going olf the hard portions of the roadway for a ditch 45 (FIG. 3) having a long side 55. The attachment 14 includes a boom extension or truss 48 which includes tubular top rods 50 having secured at the ends thereof connecting plates 52 having bores 54 therein through which capscrews 57 (FIG. 2) are adapted to extend and be threadedinto aligned bores in rigid mounting plates 53 fixed integrally to the upper end portion of the frame 30 by welding or the like. The boom extension 48 also includes tubular bottom rods 56 having connecting plates 58 rigidly secured thereto. The plates 58 have aligned holes 59 formed therein. The front or free ends of the rods 50 and 56 are fixed to a pair of tie plates 62 carrying hinge bosses 64 in alignment with each other. Horizontal tubular truss members or rods 66 secure the rods 50 together, and rods 65 secure the rods 56 together. Tubular vertical truss members or rods 68 are rigidly secured to the rods 50 and 56 to form rigid triangles therewith.

A bolt 70 (FIG. 3) projects through the holes 59 and secures the plates 58 pivotally to the bracket 46 of the frame 30, to permit ease of connecting the boom eXtension 48 to the frame 30. The pivot connection aiforded by the bolt 70 permits this attachment to be made initially and then the main boom 26 to be raised or lowered until the holes in the connecting plates 52 become aligned with the corresponding tapped holes in the frame 30 for insertion of the capscrews thereto, which rigidly lock the boom extension 48 to the frame 30.

A tubular extension stern 72 (FIG. 2) is secured by a Split collar 74 to the piston rod 44, at one end thereof, and is secured at the other end thereof by an eye 76, which is connected pivotally to a clevis or fork 78 by a pin 79. The clevis 78 is rigid with a ditching bucket 8S, and is connected rigidly to a hinge tube 80 by welding or the like, and reinforcing gussets 81. The hinge tube 80 (FIG. 3) has arms 84 secured rigidly thereto to form, in elfect, a

bell crank linkage with the clevis 78. The arms 84 are welded at their outer ends to a strongback 86 welded to flat back 87 of the bucket 8S and extending the entire length of the bucket. The bucket has a cylindrical or arcuate front and bottom portion 90 (FIG. 2) provided with a front cutting or scraping blade 92. The bucket also has sides 94 having side cutting blades 96 at the edges thereof.

The hinge tube 80 (FIG. 4) has fixed thereto tapered, counterbored, tubular bearings 82 carrying bushings 110 rotatable on xed pin or shaft 83 pinned to bosses 64. The shaft 83 is provided with axial bores 98 having tapped counterbores 1011 and lateral passages 162 leading to distributing slots 104. Lubricant is supplied from the tting 123 to the bores 9S and enters the space between the bushing 110 and the shaft 83. O-rings 112 and 114 seat in grooves formed in the bushing 110, and each has a notch 115 to permit grease to reach the ends of the bushings 110. O-rings 120 are positioned on the external tapered ends 122 of the members $2 to form a dust seal. Lubricant supplied to grease fitting 123 lubricates the elements permitting pivoting movement of the bucket 88 relative to the shaft 83.

Operation To clean the ditch 51, the loader 10 is driven to the position shown in FIG. l in which the wheels 18 are positioned on the roadway itself and with the bucket 8S in the position thereof shown in broken lines in FIG. l relative to the boom extension 48, while the boom extension 48 is in an elevated position, as illustrated by the broken line position of the boom extension 43. The hydraulic cylinder and piston device 4t) then is actuated to lower the main boom 26 to the position thereof shown in full lines in FIG. 1. This locates the bucket 88 in the lower, broken-line position thereof in which the blade 92 is positioned near the top of the back wall of the ditch 51. Then the operator actuates the cylinder 42 to retract the piston rod 44. This pivots the bucket 88 about the axis of the pin 83 and the blade 92 scrapes along the generally semi-circular ditch, which is substantially concentric to the pin S3, and scoops all debris and the like which is to be cleaned from the ditch. When the bucket S8 reaches the full line position thereof shown in FIG. 1, the operator may then actuate the hydraulic device 40 to lift the main boom and boom extension with the loaded bucket, and then turns the loader around a short radius and empties the material in the bucket 88 into a truck provided for that purpose. The operation described above then may be repeated. To clean the ditch 45 (FIG. 3), the operator backs up the loader 1t) as the bucket 88, main boom and boom extension are being lifted to keep the blade 92 in scraping engagement on the sloping wall S of the ditch 45 The attachment 14 may be quickly detached from the frame 30 merely by unscrewing the capscrews 5'7 (FIG. 2) securing the plates 52 to the plates 53 and removing the bolt 70. The bucket 12 then may be substituted ttherefor and the loader 10 used where normal, medium length, reach applications are required.

The attachment 14 provides a simple, inexpensive, lightweight construction for extending the reach of the front end loader a long distance, and is quickly and easily interchangeable with the usual bucket 12. The above described construction'gives the front end loader the versatility of both having the forwardly directed bucket 12 and the rearwardly directed bucket $3 which is operable for back hoeing. The attachment 14 is particularly advantageous in preventing mutilation and disturbances of soft shoulders of the roads whose ditches are cleaned thereby, and also by keeping the driving wheels 18 on hard surfaced or solid ground..

It is to be understood that the above-described'arrange@ ments are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. In a front end loader,

a parallelogram linkage type main boom having a free end,

a frame carried by the free end of the boom,

a rst bucket detachably securable to the frame for pivotal movement relative to the frame,

a boom extension detachably securable to the frame as and alter-nate to the first bucket,

a second bucket mounted pivotally on the free end of the boom extension,

hydraulic means carried by the frame detachably connectible to the rst bucket, for pivoting the first bucket relative 4to the frame,

and distance extension means adapted to connect the second bucket to the hydraulic means for pivoting the secon-d bucket relative to the boom extension.

2. In a front end loader,

a boom carriage,

a parallelogram boom means connected at one end to the boom carriage,

hydraulic means for raising and lowering the free end of the boom means,

a mounting frame carried by the free end of the boom means,

a first bucket detachably securable to the frame for pivotal movement relative thereto,

-a truss-like extension having one end thereof detachably and rigidly connectible to the mounting frame as an alternate to the .first bucket,

a second bucket having a rear cutting edge pivotally mounted on the free end of the extension,

hydraulic means carried by lthe frame and detachably connectible to the rst bucket for pivoting the first bucket relative t-o the frame,

and extension means adapted to connect the hydraulic means to the .second bucket.

3. In a loader,

a rst frame,

a parallelogram boom means connected at one end to the rst frame,

hydraulic means for raising and lowering the free end end of the boom means,

a mounting frame carried by the free end of the boom means,

a rst bucket,

means for detachably securing the rst bucket pivotally to the mounting frame,

a truss-like extension,

means for detachably mounting one end of the extension rigidly on the mounting frame in place of the rst bucket,

a hydraulic cylinder connected pivotally to the mounting frame,

a piston mounted in the cylinder and having a piston rod extending forwardly relative to the boom means,

means for detachably `connecting the piston rod to the irst bucket,

a second bucket having a rear cutting edge and pivotally mounted on the free end yof the extension,

and an extension stem connecting the piston rod to the bucket for pivoting the bucket by the piston.

4. In a front end loader,

parallelogram boom means having a free end,

a frame connected to the free end of the boom means and having a lower bracket portion,

a tapered truss member having -a pair of connecting plates,

pin means for connecting the `connecting plates to the bracket,

a second pair of connecting plates connected to the truss member,

means for securing the second plates to ythe frame to secure the trus-s member rigidly to the frame,

hydraulic power means mounted Ipivotally on the frame,

a bell crank lever mounted pivotally =on the tree end of .the truss member,

means connecting an arm of the bell crank lever to t-he hydraulic means,

and .a bucket having a strongback connected to the other arm of the 'bell crank lever.

S. The yfront end loader of claim `4 wherein the bell crank lever includes a tubular :h-inge,

a pin secured to the free end of the truss-like member,

the pin being provided with lubricant bores in the ends thereof,

bushing ymembers mounted in the tubular hinge,

sealing means seal-ing the fpin `and the bus-hing members,

and O-ring seals positioned between the truss member and the ends of the tubular hinge.

`6. In a loader,

a main boom pivoted at one end thereof,

a frame connected to the free end of the boom,

a -frst bucket,

iirst releasable connecting means adapted to selectively attach Ithe first bucket pivotally to and detach the the tirst ybucket from the lframe,

a boom extension adapted to be substituted for the first bucket and rigidly 4attachable at one end thereof by the connecting means to the frame with the other end free,

auxiliary releasable connecting means -for securing the boom extension to the frame against pivotal movement therebetween,

a second bucket pivotally attached to the free end of the boom extension,

a hydraulic cylinder -connected pivotally to the mounting frame,

a piston mounted in the cylinder and having a piston rod extending forwardly relative to the boom and releasably securable to the first bucket,

and an extension member adapted -to connect the piston to the second bucket.

7. I-n a loader,

a first frame,

a parallelogram boom means connected at one end to the tir-st frame,

hydraulic means -for raising and lowering the free end of the boom means,

a mounting frame carried 'by the free end of the boom means,

a rst bucket,

rst releasable means mounting the rst bucket detachably on the mounting frame,

a boom extension having an end portion 'adapted to be secured by the Arst releasable means tothe mounting frame in place of the 4first bucket,

additional releasable means adapted to secure the boom extension rigidly to Ithe mounting frame with the first releasable means,

-a sec-ond bucket having a rear cutting edge and pivotally mounted on the free end of the extension,

an exten-sion member secured to the -se-cond bucket for pivoting t-he second bucket relative to the boom extension,

and hydraulic means car-ried by the mounting trame and selectively attacha'ble to lthe -first bucket and the extension member for pivoting the tirst bucket relative to the mounting frame land for pivoting the second bucket relative to the boom extension.

8. In a front end loader,

parallelogram 'boom means having a free end,

a frame connected to the free end of the boom means and hav-ing a lower bracket portion,

a boom exten-sion having a ylirst connecting means,

pin mean-s for connecting the iirst connecting means to the bracket,

second connecting means for securing the boom eXtens-ion rigidly to the frame,

hydraulic power means mounted pivot-ally on the frame,

lever means mounted pivotally on the free end of the boom extension,

extension means connecting the lever means to the hydraulic means,

and a lbracket pivotally mounted to the boom extension and pivotally connected to the lever means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS .2,447,150 '8/48 Andersen 214-145 2,491,793 12/49 Andersen 214-1140 2,630,231 3/53 Klinge 214-140 2,741,378 4/56 Wagner `214-1'40 2,892,558 6/59 Seaman @I4-+140 HUGO O. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE 0F CORRECTION Patent No. 3,208,611 September 28, 1965 James J. Robnett It is hereby certified that error appears in t ent requiring corre corrected below.

Column 3, line 5 column 4, line 43, "bracket" 8, for "ttherefor" strike out "end";

read therefor read bucket column 6, line 34, for

Signed and sealed this 19th day of April 1966.

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER 

1. IN A FRONT END LOADER, A PARALLELOGRAM LINKAGE TYPE MAIN BOOM HAVING A FREE END, A FRAME CARRIED BY THE FREE END OF THE BOOM, A FIRST BUCKET DETACHABLY SECURABLE TO THE FRAME FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE FRAME, A BOOM EXTENSION DETACHABLY SECURABLE TO THE FRAME AS AND ALTERNATE TO THE FIRST BUCKET, A SECOND BUCKET MOUNTED PIVOTALLY ON THE FREE END OF THE BOOM EXTENSION, HYDRAULIC MEANS CARRIED BY THE FRAME DETACHABLY CONNECTIBLE TO THE FIRST BUCKET, FOR PIVOTING THE FIRST BUCKET RELATIVE TO THE FRAME, AND DISTANCE EXTENSION MEANS ADAPTED TO CONNECT THE SECOND BUCKET TO THE HYDRAULIC MEANS FOR PIVOTING THE SECOND BUCKET RELATIVE TO THE BOOM EXTENSION. 